The most valuable asset that God has given you is TIME. Time is not a renewable resource. You can never get time back.
Leaders feel their time being taxed and stretched everyday. It is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of your daily work schedule. And often times you probably feel that you have lost control of your own time. Time is too valuable of a resource to allow outside forces to control it.
Step 1 – See time the way God sees time. It is only then that you will be able to make the most of your time.
Life is short and Eternity is forever!
Fully grasp that your time on this earth is extremely short. Whether you live 1 year, 10 years, 30 years, or 90 years, in relationship to eternity it is but a blink of an eye.
Psalm 90 records a prayer of Moses where he recognizes that our time on earth is limited; therefore we should use it wisely not living for the moment, but with eternity in mind. He ends the prayer in verse 17:
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.
Jesus provides a great model for you on how to “establish the work of your hands” and use your time.
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Submit fully to God’s plan for your life.
Jesus locked down on the purpose for his life and all his activities were a reflection of advancing that purpose. Once you have discerned God’s purpose for your life, allow that to be your guide. Everything you do should be towards advancing that purpose. If an activity or meeting does not advance your purpose, clear it from your schedule.
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Be directly accountable to God for how you are spending your time.
Realizing that your time on this earth is very short, you need to be accountable to staying focused on things eternal. Taking time to have a conversation with an employee who is hurting, might take precedence over sitting in your office catching up on email and paperwork.
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Live with the purpose of glorifying God and accomplishing all he has given you to do.
Be truly present. Accept the fact that God has a purpose for all aspects of your life including the good and the bad times. He has uniquely gifted you so that you might glorify him. You don’t need to go into the mission field or ministry to serve the Lord. You can serve and glorify Him daily in your present circumstances.
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Always be grateful for your current circumstances.
Don’t waste a season of your life just because you might not understand what God is doing at that time. Your job is not to always understand God, but to always trust that God has made everything beautiful in its time. Taking time to be thankful for all your blessings is always a great use of your time.
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Be generous with your time for others.
If you invest your time in doing good and thinking about the betterment of others, you will be more satisfied with your time. Jesus got up everyday thinking about how he could serve others. God has called us to that same model of servant leadership. You don’t need to expand the time you have, you just need to narrow your priorities.
Don’t put this important issue off for another day. Take control of how you are spending your time. You will never get your time back.
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
Wow Mark, what a great post! Being conscious of this one concept, which seems simple and is not, can change my perspective and where I focus my TIME each day. It provides a clear lens to look through on my approach to daily life. Thank you.
Your welcome Craig! This is certainly easier said than done. It is a daily battle for me, but staying grounded on God’s purpose for my life and His vision of time is definitely helpful as I develop my daily priorities. I hope you and your family have a blessed Easter!
This is one area of my life that I work on constantly and still feel like I never get it quite right. For the past two years I have created an accountability booklet that has a page for each week. I decide at the end of the year what I will work on for the next year, all the areas of my life. I have lists for daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. On the back of the sheet I have a planning page to list all the things I plan to accomplish in that one week. It keeps me honest, helps me see where the weak areas are – but I don’t see that I’m really achieving the big goals. However, in the areas of living my purpose, I can see where that’s my time is invested. The accountability sheet which started out to be my source for achieving great things hasn’t really done that, but it’s given me a clear picture of what I really value. As Craig Olson said of your article, that clear lens is pretty telling of our approach to life.
Jane, I think you are on to something. Allow your purpose to set your priorities and how you use your time. Anything that advances your God-given purpose is time well spent!
In my business, we talk constantly of how you can never get your time back. I truly appreciate the Christian perspective you have put on this – especially that all we have not is but a blink of an eye compared with eternity. Recently I’ve been trying to adjust my priorities and give time to things I value. It’s interesting that if God is first, things all find their place easier than if He gets the leftovers!
Thanks so much for your thoughts on this important subject Nichole. Great job focusing your time based on your values. As you say “if we are focused on God and his purpose for us, things find their place!” Awesome!!